Overview & Reviews

The Acura RDX is a small luxury crossover SUV with two rows of seats. The RDX has never been a bona fide class leader in performance or luxury, but like many Acuras, it's a well-rounded vehicle with numerous strengths. In reviews, we've praised various RDX models for their quick acceleration, confident highway cruising demeanor and composed handling. We've found the RDX's cabin to be both well-constructed and reasonably spacious, with exceptionally supportive front seats to boot. The RDX also enjoys a strong reputation for overall quality and reliability.

If you're shopping for an RDX, you'll find early models with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, standard all-wheel drive and unusually sporty handling. Later versions of the Acura RDX stand out for their added refinement, power and interior space, and there's also a front-wheel-drive version aimed at buyers in milder climates. Unlike some rivals, the RDX keeps shoppers' lives simple with a generously equipped base model and a straightforward, package-based options structure.

User Reviews:

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  In the shop three times already - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Very Very Unhappy - May 4 - 10:57 pm

  In the last Month my RDX has been in the shop three times and the last time it didnt even last a week before the emission light went on again and when it goes on it seem to shift down and have less power it has been in the shop this time for a week and they dont know whats wrong with it they are in contact with Japan now and still have no idea whats wrong. Im probably going to trade it in once the find the problem. I can not trust this car. I thought Acura was a trusted car that had no problems I guess I was wrong.

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  Love This Vehicle - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Otto - April 29 - 5:22 pm

  Traded in my 2003 Highlander for an RDX on 4/18/08 and wish I had done it sooner. I put over 800 miles on during the first week and I couldnt be happier. The turbo is awesome and the technology package is great. Mileage is slightly better than the 17/22 on the sticker. I was looking to downsize a bit and just couldnt bring myself to purchase a sedan. What a great choice. This baby drives like a sports car and still gives me some options on the utility side of things.

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  Good car, poor storage space and MPG - 2007 Acura RDX
  By dpo - April 23 - 1:37 pm

  The RDX performs well and is clearly well made. It drives like a sedan. It is a very good car for a single person, but storage space for families on trips is relatively poor, especially given only 20 mpg. Bringing a stroller severely limits baggage space. The reality is that if you are going to get poor gas mileage, you might as well buy a larger SUV. My 4-Runner gets about 20 to 22 mpg and has far more space. Seats are very comfortable as long as the ride is on a smooth road. Bumps are unpleasant for back seat passengers. Steering is tight and car handles nicely.

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  The Best of Both Worlds - 2007 Acura RDX
  By michael - April 22 - 9:19 pm

  I have been in the car business 18 years, and have had a few front drive cars and 4 rear drive pathfinders. One day I was driving a front drive passenger vehicle and took a corner to fast and the rest is history. That day I test drove the 07 RDX SW AWD and the rest is history. I have never owned an all wheel drive vehicle with VSA. Being in the business, I have driven this vrossover hard. It corners better than any thing I have ever driven. Bring on the rain. Floor it from a dead stop and the car just launches forward, comfortable on long trips, the navigation is great.

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  Wonderful driving experience - 2008 Acura RDX
  By DWB - April 12 - 2:15 pm

  I purchased the RDX 2 weeks ago with 7 miles on it. It now has nearly 1000 miles with combined city and highway miles. The day after I picked it up I drove 550 miles and averaged 23 MPG. 90% of the time it was downpouring rain in the mountains of WV and VA. Ive been averaging 18 MPG around town however I do not sit in traffic very much. I had a Civic and it was a great mode of transportation. However, the RDX is a driving experience with immense pleasure from the XM radio and sound system to the handling and comfort. Also got the protection package, wheel locks and tow package.

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  Not flashy but drives great! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Kleo77 - April 11 - 7:03 pm

  Its been a long road till I pulled a triggered and leased 2017 base model AWD RDX. I also looked at BMW x1 & x3 and infinity Qx30 & QX50. Acura was a winner due to the best deal and dealership experience. I traded in my 2011 3 series that I loved but the CPO warranty was about to expire and I refuse to pay for fixing cars so in order to prevent it I decided to get a new car. I wanted awd because we go often to the mountains. I did not want the technology package because I hate having too many buttons and features even though Im very computer savvy. I just assume that simple solutions are always the best. My fiancee got x3, retail price 10k more- it was a demo so its fully loaded but my car drives almost as nice as his and mine gets better gas milage even though his is 4 cylinder turbo. I got 22 freeway and 20 combined which is exactly the same as my beemer and better than my 2011 AWD Nissan Rogue! I consider that very good and I hope it will stay at this level (BTW unlike most people I do manual gas milage calculation every time I go to the gas station and dont rely on the computer readings because they are hardly ever accurate- beemer was most accurate). My other car option was x1 since Ive always liked but it would cost me still more than Acura and it is a much more smaller car. RDX is equivalent of x3 and is a perfect size for me. Base model had keyless entry, moonroof , heated seat and back up camera which is all nice to have. The drive quality is very good, X3 has a better suspension but is also a stiffer ride due to run flat tires and bigger rims. I was very dissapointed with how much my 3 series depreciate during my 3 years of ownership that Im not longer their loyal customer. They also stopped offering free brakes in the first 4 years of ownership which was another bummer. ON top of everything I think their cars are kind of outdated looking so its time for major overhaul. I might consider the x3 in 3 years if they come up with the nice design. Not that my Acura is a hot looking car because its super bland but the deal i got justifies it. The lease on Acura and Infinity was much cheaper for a very simple reason - Japanese cars dont depreciate as much as German cars. Anyway RDX is great car and the only downside is there will be anew model coming up soon thats why I opted to lease. Highly recommended, safe and efficient vehicle.

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  Good not-quite-ready-for-mom-van option - 2014 Acura RDX
  By Melissa P. - April 3 - 2:48 am

  I was purposely looking for something more compact for our small (one kid) family, as I prefer that to driving a larger SUV. I traded in a two-year-old TSX, which I loved, to buy the RDX so we would have more rear leg room and cargo space. I like the simplicity of buying an Acura -- get it with or without bells and whistles, no nonsense. Good value for the money. All the goodies I wanted at the time, heated seats, XM radio, etc. While previous years had a turbocharged engine, this one does not which means pretty decent gas mileage. My daily commute is a combination of city/country road driving and I hit the mid 20s most tanks. There is a bit more road noise than I remember with my TSX. And make no mistake this is definitely a smaller car. Another kid or a large dog, and you might want to consider something larger. We fill up the cargo area pretty quickly! But I do still feel that the rear legroom is better than that of other cars in this size class, and installing the car seat with LATCH is a snap. The car has been extremely reliable with no visits to service other than regularly scheduled ones.

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  So far, the best car I ever owned - 2008 Acura RDX
  By JohnnyV - March 30 - 11:01 pm

  I traded in a 2005 Subaru WRX STi which I bought new after months of research. It was terrible. Ive had the RDX a month and its an extraordinary vehicle. For someone w/ low back problems the drivers seat/position is perfect, unlike the poor seat in the Toyota RAV 4. Ill check back in a few months.

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  Very happy with purchase - 2008 Acura RDX
  By Tyler - March 28 - 7:49 pm

  It has great acceleration and hugs the road very well. The suspension is stiff and reminds me of my old RSX-S (could be good or bad depending on the driver). Ive driven from TX to CA in this and was not fatigued. All in all, it is a pleasure to drive. I do extensive research whenever I buy pretty much anything and I found this to be a better buy than the competitors.

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  Not a cushy Buick - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Margaret Neal - March 28 - 1:53 pm

  Great car to drive. Adaptive Cruise, lane change warning and other safety features are just awesome. Brakes are terrific. Compared to our Lucerne, road noise is much worse, but tolerable; interior is not par w/price. Ride is pretty good for suv. Acura cheaps out on some features that will annoy you every time you drive it. For the RDX, only one of the two key remotes w/the applicable pkg will start the car. With the MDX, both remotes will do it. Guess Acura saved a couple bucks to hack off customers. Bad design is driver seat position. Our Buick had it right..seat went all the way back when ignition turned off, making getting out really easy, after getting in, push driver 1 or 2 and seat, outside mirror, and interior mirror repositioned. With the RDX, using the driver 1 or 2 setting, the seat positioned PRIOR to getting in. For us short people, that made getting in difficult. The inside mirror also was not among the setting. We had to disable the seat positioning setting. A really bad design. Door panels are sorta cheap also. Overall, a nice car, fun to drive but some cheap outs. Not worth the price..but close.